Chapter 96: Lunala: "Don't Worry, Lillie — I'll Help You Win Mammon's Heart!"
"Alola — probably not for a while."
Mammon thought through his schedule. The next few weeks were accounted for; a trip back to Alola wasn't in the cards anytime soon.
Although — a day or two to unwind wouldn't be the worst thing. Lusamine was, after all, extremely... accommodating.
Hm. Actually tempting when you put it that way.
"Oh..." The disappointment in Lillie's voice was immediate and unconcealed.
"I do have things to take care of. But if I get a window before I come back, I'll let you know in advance."
He smiled into the phone.
"And if you ever have time, you're welcome to come find me. Just have Nebby bring you."
"...Would that really be alright?"
Lillie's voice went bright with surprise, then wavered into uncertainty. She'd never left Alola on her own before. Traveling all the way to another region just to visit Mammon — wasn't that a little too bold?
"Of course. With Nebby there, you'll be perfectly safe. Right, Nebby?"
"Ma~xi~!"
Lunala's response was immediate and confident. Obviously. It was the Legendary Beast Who Beckons the Moon. Keeping Lillie safe was the easiest thing in the world.
Lillie's resolve tipped.
"Then — sometime soon, I'll come find you. If that's alright. Things are a little complicated on my end right now."
She turned it over carefully. It was completely feasible, wasn't it?
Except — it felt slightly like sneaking off behind her best friend's back to secretly meet her boyfriend. The guilt of that made her squirm.
And there was the matter of her mother. Lusamine had been, for reasons Lillie couldn't entirely pin down, quietly discouraging too much contact between Lillie and Mammon.
"That's fine. Though I'll be leaving Kanto in a few days myself. And Gladion's with me, by the way — you could tell President Lusamine you're coming to see your brother."
Mammon delivered this suggestion with smooth helpfulness. He understood Lusamine completely — she was predictable in the ways that mattered.
Lusamine had genuinely accepted her relationship with Mammon, and Gladion was under his wing. Lusamine had no reason to move against him. But that didn't mean she wanted Lillie drawn any closer into his orbit — on that point, she'd been carefully vigilant.
"Gladion is with you too? That settles it — I'll figure something out!"
Lillie brightened immediately. There was her excuse.
"I'll be waiting. I'm sure Lillie's only gotten lovelier since we last saw each other."
"That's — that's not — Mammon, you really—"
Despite everything — despite how many times he'd aimed exactly this kind of thing directly at her — Lillie's composure still didn't hold up to it. She was flustered and pleased in equal measure, worrying the hem of her dress.
A few more exchanges, and she hung up the phone with obvious reluctance.
On the picnic mat, Mammon set his phone down and immediately registered that the atmosphere had shifted.
"She must be very cute," Erika said, her voice carrying a particular quality.
Mammon raised an eyebrow.
"She's a girl I met in Alola. And yes — about as cute as you are, Gym Leader."
Erika's face went pink at once. Her heart did something embarrassing.
Caitlin glanced sideways at Erika with pure disdain. Look at her. He gives her one compliment and she turns into a blushing teapot.
Over the next several days, Ariana coordinated with characteristic efficiency — precision laboratory equipment arrived quietly in Lavender Town, hidden in ordinary-looking shipments, and was installed in a property Team Rocket had discreetly acquired near the edge of town.
The laboratory took shape quickly.
"How does it look, Mr. Fuji? If there's any other equipment you need, just say so."
Mammon brought the old man in once it was ready.
"The lab is inside Lavender Town — we've purchased the building outright. You'll have your own entrance from the street."
Mr. Fuji surveyed it in silence, then: "It'll do. Where's Mewtwo?"
Mammon opened the Poké Ball. Armored Mewtwo materialized beside him and regarded Mr. Fuji quietly.
"Mewtwo..."
The expression on the old man's face was complicated in a way that had nothing to do with anger. In his mind, the Mewtwo that had been born under his hands was something close to his own child.
Armored Mewtwo's eyes carried their own quiet turbulence. Even sealed inside the Ball, it had been able to sense the outside world. It understood, looking at this old man, who had actually brought it into existence.
"That's the limiter armor, yes? Remove it. I need to run a full physical diagnostic."
Dark Mewtwo cooperated without hesitation.
An hour later, Mr. Fuji set down a report and looked at Mammon.
"Mewtwo's physical condition is exceptional. Its psychic energy quality has already surpassed every known Psychic-type Pokémon — including this young lady's Tapu Lele."
He paused.
"You said it has hidden power yet to be unlocked. Where did you arrive at that conclusion?"
In his diagnostic, every single metric had come back beyond the range of normal Pokémon — beyond anything he'd considered possible. He couldn't begin to imagine what a further-evolved version of this would look like.
"Mr. Fuji." Mammon glanced over the report. "Have you heard of Mega Evolution?"
The old man's eyes sharpened. "You know about Mega Evolution?"
He had researched it himself, years ago. Without success.
"You want Mewtwo to Mega Evolve—?!"
The pieces clicked into place. Caitlin and Erika both looked lost.
"That's right. Mega Evolution — it transcends the normal limits of Pokémon evolution. An additional stage beyond what we've mapped." Mammon reached into his pocket and produced a stone that caught the light like a cut gem. "A Pokémon that undergoes Mega Evolution temporarily releases its hidden power — capabilities that can't be accessed through ordinary evolution."
"But Mega Evolution has never been verified," Mr. Fuji said, his brows drawn together. "Let alone for Mewtwo."
He had been, in his time, a researcher of genuine distinction — Professor Oak himself had held Mr. Fuji's work in deep respect. He'd studied Mega Evolution. He hadn't been able to prove it real.
"No — it is real, Mr. Fuji. You need a Key Stone and a Mega Stone."
Mammon stepped on his own shadow.
Shiny Gengar drifted up out of it, yawning extravagantly.
Oh. A demonstration, is it?
Mr. Fuji fixed his gaze on Shiny Gengar immediately, something stirring behind his eyes — the old instinct of a scientist brought back to life.
"Gengar."
Mammon pinched the Key Stone between two fingers.
It blazed with light. In perfect synchrony, Shiny Gengar's jaws spread wide, its enormous tongue lolling out — and on that tongue, its own Mega Stone gleamed in answer.
Seven-colored light erupted and consumed them both.
When it cleared, something new stood in Gengar's place.
A Pokémon entirely white. Eyes of deep, unsettling black. The same wicked grin, wider now, arms hanging nearly to the floor.
Shiny Mega Gengar.
"This—" Erika's eyes went wide.
"Extraordinary," Caitlin breathed.
"Mega Evolution is real."
Mr. Fuji stood utterly still, staring at the Mega-Evolved Shiny Gengar, all the color of his disbelief having drained into something that looked much more like wonder.
"Mega Evolution doesn't just dramatically boost a Pokémon's strength — it can also change its Ability." Mammon continued. "My Gengar's Ability became Shadow Tag after Mega Evolution."
"Keh heh heh~"
Shiny Mega Gengar laughed its rasping laugh — and three shadows shot out from beneath it, pinning themselves over the shadows of Mr. Fuji, Caitlin, and Erika simultaneously.
A strange, inexplicable paralysis settled over all three of them. They couldn't move their feet. Erika broke into a cold sweat.
Shadow Tag. They were all caught.
"Gengar."
Mammon leveled a look at it.
Shiny Mega Gengar looked away, unrepentant. It was just a joke. So uptight.
The light faded from its body and it reverted, then immediately dove back into Mammon's shadow to catch up on the nap it had been interrupted for.
"Mega Evolution can't be sustained for long," Mammon added. "Which means it's only viable as a finishing move — a decisive play."
"Can any Pokémon Mega Evolve?" Erika asked. She'd never heard of this before, but she could already imagine what it would mean for the world once it became known.
"No — only certain species. I'll give you the full list when we're back. For now—"
"You're saying Mewtwo can Mega Evolve." Mr. Fuji's brows had drawn together again, but it was a different expression now.
"That's my belief. Which is why I needed you. A Mega Stone for Mewtwo doesn't exist anywhere in the outside world — we'll have to make one."
"...I understand."
Mr. Fuji went quiet in thought. A genuinely challenging problem. Which was, paradoxically, what made it interesting.
"I'll need you to leave several Mega Stones and Key Stones for me to study. I'll also need trainers with Mega-capable Pokémon — I need to observe the process and collect data directly."
The old man had no hesitation now that his scholar's mind had engaged.
"And Mewtwo needs to come back regularly for continued assessment."
"Done. Ariana will give you whatever support you need."
"One more thing." Mr. Fuji's voice flattened. "I can't guarantee success."
He had to say it. Creating a Mega Stone for Dark Mewtwo — how could anyone promise a result? He was afraid that failure would mean Team Rocket taking out their frustration on the Pokémon House.
He genuinely believed they were capable of it.
"Of course. But I'm hoping for your best effort. I'll send a few assistants to work with you."
"I gave you my word, and I'll keep it — that's more than Team Rocket can say." The old man's voice was cold.
Mammon shrugged. The man's opinion of Team Rocket was poor right now — understandably. It didn't matter, as long as he worked.
Alola.
On the beach, Lillie sat watching the horizon where the sun was descending in shades of coral and gold. That direction was Kanto, wasn't it.
"I still don't know how to bring it up with Mother."
She worried at the problem, then straightened her spine slightly. She had to be brave about it.
"But talking to Mammon is always so easy." She smiled to herself — soft, a little dreamy — and turned to Lunala beside her. "He really is a good person, don't you think, Nebby?"
Lunala tilted its great head and considered this with what appeared to be genuine deliberation.
"Does Lillie like Mammon?" The rich, slightly husky telepathic voice settled gently in her ear. "Are you going to have babies together?"
"W-where did you even learn that—" Lillie's face went immediately and completely red. She twisted the hem of her dress between her fingers, mortified.
"He's so accomplished," she said, recovering by degrees. "There must be so many girls who like him."
Her voice went quieter as she said it.
A Champion-tier trainer this young. Warm and funny and thoughtful. The kind of person who felt as bright and out-of-reach as the sun.
"It's fine! Mammon definitely likes Lillie too. If you like someone, you should go after them — I'll support you all the way."
Lunala had fully assumed the role of encouraging older sister, its voice warm with conviction.
"And if there are rivals, I'll defeat them. Lillie, I'm very strong now, you know."
The confidence was total. A fully awakened Lunala was not the helpless little Cosmog it had once been.
It was a legendary Pokémon.
"...Hm?"
"And I have a partner! All I have to do is ask, and they'd help too — Lillie, you can go get Mammon without worrying about anything!"
Lunala nuzzled the top of Lillie's head affectionately.
What it meant, in more practical terms: if one legendary wasn't enough to secure Lillie's romantic ambitions, it also had the great lion Solgaleo on call. It had found Solgaleo during the Ultra Space expedition — somewhere in the Ultra Megalopolis realm, the two of them had reunited.
With both of them backing her up, no scheming woman was going to steal Mammon away from Lillie. Yo.
"Pfft — Nebby, that's not how love works."
Lillie looked at it with helpless, fond exasperation.
Even legendary Pokémon, it turned out, had a completely alien approach to romance.
This was a relationship, not a battle. Lunala's power was real and formidable — but what good was battling ability here?
Besides...
Mammon was Mitsuki's boyfriend. She wasn't going to start a fight with Mitsuki.
Lillie let out a quiet breath.
Mitsuki thought of her as a sister. And she was secretly in love with Mitsuki's boyfriend.
That's such a terrible thing to be.
I'm sorry, Mitsuki.
☆☆☆
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